Six Paths, Uzumaki Naruto
by RESTIA
Summary: His prowess great, his ingenuity infinite and his skills unprecedented. In a time not his own, Uzumaki Naruto will embark on a quest towards new horizons. With the powers of God's eyes, this is the tale of Uzumaki Naruto, the man who took the world by storm and remade it in his image, while leaving the winds of change in his wake. The man whose name caused the heavens to tremble.
1. Prologue: SP,UN

Disclaimer: Neither Fairy Tail nor Naruto belongs to me. They belong to Hiro Mashima & Masashi Kishimoto respectively.

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><p><em>"My name... It is..." - Uzumaki Naruto<br>_

**Six Paths, Uzumaki Naruto**

The kingdom of Fiore. A stable neutral country that have no stakes in wars outside of its boundaries, housing a population of 17 million. A world of magic. In Fiore, magic has become a part of daily lives, and people who uses magic are called mages. These mages belongs to various guilds, and does various jobs on requests, gaining rewards in return for their services.

"_It's cold..._"

The product formed by a contact between one's physical spirit and the spiritual flow of nature, magic power is the fuel that allows one to use magic. It allows one make the extraordinary ordinary. Performing supernatural feats like conjuring fireballs out of thin air, casting down lightning from the heavens and crafting illusionary hallucinations with a mere thought... All of these becomes possible with the use of magic power. Magic, however, requires intense concentration and mental ability to be utilized. Thus, only ten percent out of the total world's population could use magic.

"Eternano" is the term coined to name the source of magic. Eternano dwells inside all living organisms and throughout the atmosphere. If a mage were to empty his magic power, Eternano from the air can simply enter the mage's body and produce magic power.

Magic simply _exists_. The world of magic is a mysterious and vast place. Nobody knew when magic began, neither did anybody knew how magic started. Not even the most learned and educated scholars could fathom how magic, or to be more specific, how Eternano, originated. An interesting abnormal phenomenon that combined the supernatural and the logic of science.

"_My name.. what is my name?_"

"With great power comes great responsibilities." This famous quote by a great man holds true, even in this intricately vast world. With the power of magic, some sought after great goals, aiming to further the development of their race. Some aimed to defend and protect their home from any threats. But for every human who uses their power for good, there is another who uses it for evil.

There are those diabolical and fiendishly evil men and women who uses magic for his or her own devices. It is these selfish men and women that gives the ordinary people reason to fear magic, to view magic as a power of the devil. However, that is not true.

Magic itself is not evil. It is the nature of its wielder that determines whether magic is used for good, or evil. Power corrupts humans and humans corrupt power. These two facets of corruption are merely two sides of the same coin. It is an endless circle, which ultimately ends with humans fighting their own selfish desires.

"_I can't remember anything..._"

But I digress. With the power of magic, selfish and wicked people of the world sought after destruction, with the mages of good combating them. They were merely small-scale conflicts, until a mage of such great power, a sorcerer who held the power to change the world as we knew it came about.

This mage was known as the** Black Wizard**, Zeref.

The darkest and most nefariously evil mage to have made his mark upon history, carving his name upon the annuls of time. A mage which could have brought prosperity to the world of magic if he had used his power for good.

"_Wait..._"

Using his magic, which was known as the "**Black Arts**", he threw the world into chaos. Wreaking havoc throughout the world, he gathered followers which burnt down the homes of others in his name. Breathing life into an army of demons, he waged war on life and heralded an age of endless darkness. An unstoppable menace that plagued the world on an evil quest.

Of course, the mages who saw that Zeref as evil, the mages who used their power for good fought back. They combated against Zeref and his followers in a huge war. This ancient war, taking place around four hundred years ago, was known as the **Arcane War**.

The **Arcane War**, taking place around year X328 was a bloody war that reaped the lives of thousands. A war that involved the whole continent of Fiore. A brutal conflict that plagued the world for five years, Earthland became a battlefield where lives were reaped. Thousands of mages from both sides became casualties, became sacrifices to the bloody inferno known as war.

"_It's gradually getting warmer..."_

To destroy, and to protect. Mages who fought for these two ideas combated without rest.

Fiore saw the end of this bloody war at X333, when two mages, who held powers to rival Zeref's emerged. Singlehandedly, the pair turned the tide of the war.

One half of the legendary pair was a woman of ethereal beauty. A woman of long auburn wavy hair and large blank eyes of the same color that radiated kindness, and sadness at people losing their lives in the war. She wore a frilly robe and had unusual yet beautiful wing-like protrusions around her ears that served to further her fairy-like appearance. A woman whose beauty was indescribable by words.

This woman was Mavis Vermilion, first guildmaster of Fairy Tail, and master of her own unique brand of magic, **Fairy** **Magic**. This magic was far superior to the one that would later come into the possession of Evergreen, a member of Fairy Tail around four hundred years later. Her beauty in battle and her magic caused her to be given the epithet "**Eternal Fairy**".

"_I am starting to remember things..."_

The other one was a man. A handsome fellow with unkempt dirty blonde hair that seemed to spike all over the place and defy gravity, with eyes with a shade of azure blue that resembled the oceans and the skies. Occasionally, however, his sclera would turn purple and concentric rings would form around his iris. An intense individual donning a short-sleeved red coat with black flames pattern on the hemline. He sported 3 whisker marks on each cheek, not unlike those from a cat... or a fox.

This individual, whose name was lost in the passage of the sands of time, was only known by his epithet, "**Six Paths**", for utilizing six different magics that embodied the six paths of reincarnation. Legends spoke of his prowess being great, his ingenuity being infinite and his skills unprecedented. He was unmatched by all mages, save for his partner, Mavis, and his nemesis, Zeref.

With confidence, the deadly duo confronted the **Black Wizard **for a final time, their battle making their mark upon history. The flare of magic power caused by their battle resounded throughout the whole continent, as storms of fire fell from the heavens, lightning flashed around the battlefield, torrents of water shot up from the earth, tempests of winds shredded were summoned with a mere thought, and earthquakes shook the arena. Magic clashed in a battle that would decide whether the world would be reigned by peace... or further war.

"_My name.. it is..._"

The battle ended with the successful sealing of the greatest villain the world had ever known. However, victory was not without its losses. A final desperate curse from the **Black Wizard** incinerated Mavis's physical body to ashes, dooming her to a life as nothing more than a spirit, and froze the **Six Paths** into a column of ice.

The land the battle took place on eventually strayed from the mainland due to the earthquakes caused from the battle, drifting to the vast ocean to become a solitary island. The island eventually become known as Tenrō Island, the sacred and holy ground of Fairy Tail.

As four hundred years passed, the island became covered by lush green vegetation once again, and a great tree, feasting on the magic power left by the battle, grew into a gargantuan size, its roots protecting an underground chamber that was used to seal the **Black Wizard**. As four hundred years passed... the icy curse of Zeref grew weaker, until the obelisk of ice finally shattered, releasing the ancient legendary hero. And this story... dictates the adventures of this hero in the vast world of magic in a time not his own.

"MY NAME IS UZUMAKI NARUTO, THE MAGE OF** SIX PATHS**! AND AFTER EONS, I FINALLY LIVE _AGAIN_!"

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><p><strong>AN**: **This is nothing more than a prologue, and an idea I entertained out of boredom. I feel that I should caution you, readers. I might not continue this story, given other circumstances. I will most _likely_ continue it, but the decision is not set in stone. Furthermore, I have not planned how this story will go, thus it might take awhile before I update again. Especially after my fiasco with my previous Rinnegan!Naruto in the Fairy Tail world, I learned my important lesson in planning a story out l0l.**


	2. Chapter 1: Novus Tempus

A/N: Because Latin simply sounds cooler.

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><p><em>"Even if I have to wait for you for a thousand years..." - Mavis Vermilion<em>

**Novus Tempus**

Would you normally expect to wake up from a deep sleep, only to realize that hundreds of years have passed since you slumbered? Realizing that you are misplaced in time, realizing that time have marched onwards whilst you slept? Such a notion is outside the realms of possibility, right?

...Well, I guess it would make a great opener to a story or manga.. A prologue to a story where something mystical and esoteric happens. The protagonist, a legend in a past life, awakens and realizes his powers again. He goes on a great adventure, mastering his powers and becoming a hero in the process.

However, only a fool would truly wish for that. I mean, there is no way that guy would be normal, right?

I don't want to be dragged into a strange world or be heralded as a hero. Those things are actually kind of troublesome and dangerous. Take it from the guy who have been in that situation first-hand long ago. Furthermore, in action stories and mangas, the heroes always holds responsibility of the world in their hands, right? Just like I have long ago...

It isn't so fun, knowing your every decision could affect the world. I grew tired of those kind of stuffs. Being the hero doesn't suit me.

That is why, I, Uzumaki Naruto..

Don't need to wake up in a time not my own.

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><p>She was an eternal sentinel, an everlasting guardian. She was immortal, yet her fate was lamentable. Existing outside the realms of mortality, she could see, and not touch. She could hear, and not interact. Her existence was that of a different plane, and yet her soul was anchored here.<p>

Anchored to the heavenly tree that touched the skies. The island itself was her. She could not leave the island, for it was her prison, her eternal sanctuary.

She would never fade. Imperishable, indefinite, perennial was her existence.

On this lonely isle out on sea, she had nobody for company. She craved for the warmth of human touch. But it was impossible. For she was a spirit, a specter. She was incorporeal, ethereal, intangible. Wraith-like, she phases through anything that was material, anything not part of the nether. The world itself rejects her existence, for she was an anomaly in this plane.

She have waited for eons. She have witnessed the rise and falls of eras, the gradual change of humanity as they evolved over time. Living through the ages, she withstood the ultimate force. The force that devours everything. Gnawing iron and biting steel, it which grinds rocks into sediments. The impetus that slays kings, that ruins kingdoms, that erodes mountains and that which splits oceans.

...Slowly traversing through the passages of time.

She waits. She is tired, tired of the same old constant scenery, time and time again, tired of the same old monotonous repetition and pattern. Forever looping, round and round, never stopping. An endless cycle. She wants to leave, but she is unable. She wants to leave, but she is obligated to stay. She wants to leave, and yet, she waits.

She yearns for fresh air -_to smell the scents of nature_- of wild grass after a spring rain. Of lilacs in the breeze. Of mist from a waterfall. Of the bounties of plant life. Of the beautiful pure white snow that falls every winter. And yet, she waits.

She uses her phantomic powers to rise to the air, before releasing her hold on her powers. She falls from great height. There was nothing as she fell. There will always be nothing as she fall. And she felt nothing as she landed.

Landing on the ground feet-first, she defied all logic. It was impossible, it defied all laws of nature, it mocked the rules of the universe, and it spat on the face of the Gods themselves. For she was unhurt.

She cries, she screams. But nobody will hear her. Nobody can hear her. For she was alone, her only company loneliness. Her only solace, that someday...

She yearned to _feel_, even if it was soul tearing pain, for it would have validated her existence, prove to her that she existed. But she felt no physical sensations. The void, the nothing, it was always there. Slipping through erected barriers of the mind, it attacked the sanity. It was torturous, it was excruciating, it was agony. The _nothingness._ And she still felt nothing.

Only hope prevented her sanity from falling to the abyss. Hope that _someday... the only one who would be able to touch her..._

Salvation for Mavis Vermilion arrived on March the 13th, Year X784, when the obelisk of ice situated across her grave, the glacial tower that pierced the heavens, _shattered_.

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><p>It was disconcerting. The feel of the warm sunlight shining upon his being, the smell of the bounties of the earth, the sensation of the wind gently tussling with his hair. His mind screamed that he had felt only these yesterday, but his body, it <em>remembered<em>, it remembered the glacial prison it was sealed in. It remembered that it have not felt these sensations for a long, long, _long_ time.

It was eerie. The feeling of familiarity clashing with sensation of unfamiliarity. His mind was foggy. Who was he, and what was he doing before this?

He looked around. He stood in the middle of a crater, a smooth rounded crater. Where was he? He frowned, for he could not recall anything.

He looked down to inspect himself, to find any clues to see if he could discern his location. He blinked. And blinked. His eyes was not deceiving him.

He was glowing, _glowing with azure blue_. The blue of the skies, the seas and the storm. The glow, the aura. It was so familiar, as if it was a faithful partner that had been by his side since time immortal. But it felt... _defiant_ somehow. It was some kind of energy, he could deduce that much. An energy used for something, but what? He tried to grasp within himself, but he felt nothing.

He looked up once again. And his eyes opened in astonishment. The crater he was standing in, it was widening before his very eyes. The energy he was exuding, it was so potent that it saturated the air itself. It grinded the earth into dust. No, it grinded the earth into _molecules itself_. It was that oppressive. He immediately grasped the danger of the situation. If he did not control the energy, he would create _a gargantuan hole in the land_. If he did not control the energy, he was too dangerous to live. For if he did not control the energy, he would only bring destruction.

And that notion terrified him to his core. Even if he could not remember his name, _his identity_, the idea of being a beast that only wrought destruction went against _his soul itself_. It was inconceivable, his soul screamed.

Resolve strengthened, he closed his eye and plunged headfirst into himself.

There. In the navel of his body, he felt a pool of energy. He grasped onto it, and channeled his resolve, his will, his intent. He commanded it, he ordered it, to _yield_.

And yield it did. After what had seemed to be eons, he felt the energy recede. He could easily feel the mysterious energy in his navel now. He was suddenly struck with a stray thought. He tried to summon it, and it obeyed readily. It seemed that the energy was his to command after his subjugation.

The feeling of familiarity struck once again. He knew the name of this energy, he knew that it was something integral to his being. He knew, but he could not remember. No matter how much he grasped, no matter how much he focused, the piece of knowledge somehow eluded him like a slippery eel. He tried so hard to _remember_, but it was always just outside his reach. It was annoyingly frustrating.

He suddenly heard something. A voice... no. It was the immaculate chorus of angels, a melodious hymn of seraphims. It was as clear as clarion bells. It flowed like water and was hauntingly pure. Rich and vibrant, sweet and smooth, soft and whispery. Such was the majesty of the voice.

His eyes widened. This voice... he had heard it before. He was sure of it. His forgotten memories cried. It screamed, it yearned to be remembered. Yet, the seal holding them back was too strong. But it was weakening. But it held strong. It needed a final push.

He turned around.

A fairy...? No. A child. Of long and wavy auburn colored hair. Of blank eyes that radiated infinite kindness of the same color. Alabaster-toned, she donned a frilly robe and had unusual yet beautiful wing-like protrusions around her ears that served to pronounce her fairy-like appearance. Barefooted, she exuded an ethereal aura.

The moment his eyes laid upon her, his being _shook_. Reverberations vibrated through his soul. Her figure was the final catalyst, the final stimulus needed to release his memories. And like a dam finally bursting before pressurized water, his memories gushed forth with the intensity of a thousand suns.

His entire life flashed before his eyes. Moments, scenes, instants in his life played like a movie reel. Lost, forgotten and ancient memories buried under the sands of time resurfaced. The darkest moments of his life, when he contemplated despair. The brightest moments of his life, when he contemplated hope.

He remembers it now. The sense of achievement he felt when he mastered another aspect of his magic. The feeling of despair, of hopelessness when another of his loved ones fell to the crusade of the **Black Mage**. It was so familiar, he had felt all of these before, and he felt it once again. He was a champion, a subjugator. He was a hero, a legend.

His identity, his ipseity. All of it came forth, and more.

In an age of endless darkness, he was the one who brought light into that era.

And his sole companion, the one who had stuck with him through thick and thin, was the figure of heavenly beauty in front of him... albeit in a different form. His eternal comrade, the only one who would not betray him. The one who had waited for eons for him to return.

Uzumaki Naruto's eyes opened, and a cocky smirk graced his lips. Brightened with life, livened with memories, his eyes narrowed in amusement. Raising his arms, he waved.

"It feels so long since we last saw each other... huh, Mavis?"

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><p>She skipped, bouncing on the balls of her feet. She felt ecstatic, she felt infinite joy. She <em>flew<em>, towards where the obelisk of ice previously stood. Her patience, her wait. It had finally ended.

When she reached, she saw an enormous smooth semi-spherical crater that stood in place of the prison of ice. It was titanic in height, colossus in width. She looked around. She was sure he was somewhere here. But she could not see him. Her eyes narrowed, as despair slowly built up Just when she was so close...

There! A glow, an aura of azure blue. The shade of blue that she was so acquainted with, the blue that was so familiar, the blue that could be said to be her favorite color. It was as potent, as oppressive as the last time she had felt it. It grinded the rocks into sediments, and sediments into dust, and dust into atoms. But it ignored her, for it remembered her.

Magic energy could be said to be a manifestation of the soul itself. And his soul remembered her, even if he physically didn't.

She watched as he closed his eyes, and wrestled with his disobedient magic. She watched as the energy receded. She was content, to feast her eyes on the figure she had waited eras, ages, epoches for. The man who instilled in her the brightest emotions of life.

This was no dream, no fantasy, no hallucination, no illusionary delusion. He had finally returned.

She shouted with joy, her tone radiating elation.

He turned around, with that confident smile present on his chiseled face. He smirked, and waved. Tears of boundless felicity trickled down her visage. She launched herself forward, towards that man.

_For finally, her unending wait ends_.

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><p>Mavis wrapped her arms around Naruto's waist tightly, like a vise. In righteous anger, she weakly fisted her palms, and pummeled him. He winced in pain, yet he withstood it. For he had left her, for he had made her wait so long, when he had promised in another time not to leave her alone.<p>

He hugged her closer, tightening his grasp around the thin waist of his fellow existence, one whose existence was misplaced. He buried his face in her neck, basking in the warmth of of the small sliver of skin, enjoying her aromatic scent on his nostrils. Even if it felt like he had fought alongside her in a battle of epic proportions just the day before, he had sorely missed her.

He heard her release a short gasp, as tears streamed down her face, wetting his clothes in the process. He winced, for her tears cut deeper than any blade.

He tightened his hold on her further, muttering into her ear, "I swear... this time around, I will not abandon you."

"Promise?" She weakly replied, her face scrawled up in an adorable scowl. "Y-you promise?"

She looked so cute, so adorable, with her face like that, her large blank eyes captivating him, ensnaring him, the dual large orbs of auburn threatening to drown him in its gaze.

"Yeah, I promise."

It was a beautiful scene, an instant that deserved to be locked in time. Of relief and reunion, the world seemed to converged at this spot, at this moment in time. It seemed to dissolve. Sights and sounds, sensations and time, all of it were drowned, were muted in the intensity of the situation. For nothing mattered, except for each other. They were the only one existing in the world, for that brief moment.

An oath was uttered.

It rippled throughout the world, changing destiny and twisting fate. It resounded throughout the entire land.

And the heavens trembled.

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><p>"Anyway, that was awfully cute of you, Mavis. I didn't know you had such an adorable side to you." Naruto smirked, a condescending and teasing lilt to his tone.<p>

Mavis simply grinned. "You won't see it again, Naruto. That was a momentary moment of weakness that won't happen again."

"Ohya?" Naruto questioned, slowly leaning towards Mavis. Being taller than she was, his face was angled downwards. He slowly draw closer and closer, and his lips stopped a mere millimeter away from Mavis's, his gaze boring into her's. "Even if I do this?"

"Even if you do that." Mavis chimed, a gentle smile on her face, her eyes glittering with amusement. Her expression was unwavering, as cool as ever, with that kind tilt of the lips.

She wished they could stay like that forever, gently bantering with each other in jest. But... it was not to be. She knew, there was far more important things that needed to be discussed.

"...By the way..." Mavis's radiant smile melted, donning a facade of seriousness. Her eyes narrowed, her lips curved into a frown. Naruto blinked for an instant, and his visage morphed in that brief moment. Losing his teasing grin, he sensed the importance of the situation. "What do you plan to do now?"

Naruto's eyes closed for an instant, his mind racing for the best way to answer. Curiously regarding Mavis, his hands unconsciously adjusted the straps of his cloak, a flash of bewilderment crossing his eyes as he weighed his response.

He flexed his hand, channeling some of his magic power. He tried to channel his magic power to his eyes... but nothing happened. He could feel something, some sort of shackle, sealing his magic away, preventing it from flowing to his eyes. He could summon forth the magic energy, but he could not access his magic. Perhaps the icy prison he had been caged in have been slowly siphoning on his magic, locking away his magic. To unlock it once again, he would have to train. And fight. And train. To do that, he would have to leave this island. But he had sworn not to leave her alone. If there was a thing, a definite characteristic that you could pin on Uzumaki Naruto, it was that he always kept his promises.

His mind screamed at him to settle down in this island, together with her. His soul shouted at him to leave the island, for greener pastures.

He wanted both of them, and yet...

He lingered for a moment, conflicted, before making a decision.

"Mavis... would you be willing to accompany me on my journey to the mainland?"

She frowned, and smiled a hallow smile.

"I would love to, but my soul - it is tethered to the Tenrou Tree. Anchored to this island, I cannot leave the boundaries of this space. My plight.. it is similar to that cute vampire girl in that manga of yours.. Evangeline, was it?" Mavis smiled, as if nothing was wrong. But her eyes, it bellied her agony, her frustration at her situation. "_Unless the tree is destroyed... But that would spell disaster for my children..._"

It was selfish, she understood that. She should not have such selfish desires. She wanted the tree to be destroyed so she would be free. So that she would finally attain freedom after eons. But her kind nature - it refused, for to destroy her prison would mean that others would suffer. The protection that wrapped around those with the mark of her guild, the mark of her creation - it would be dispelled. Humanity's selfishness, and her inherent self-sacrificing nature - it warred against each other. To be free, at the expense of her children, or to be caged, at the expense of her freedom?

She gritted her teeth. She wanted to be free, yet she was unable to.

Naruto pondered her situation, his hands raising up, his fingers gently tussling with his front bangs as he thought, as he mulled about her plight. A prisoner, caged in this island...

"Then... we simply have to shift the point anchoring your soul elsewhere... to something that I always have with me..."

Mavis's eyes widened.

"What...?" Mavis gasped out, her eyes widened in shock.

"...You heard me."

"...What you are suggesting is unheard of. It is preposterous, it is outrageous, it is _inconceivable_. Do you know the ramifications of your suggestion?" Mavis asked, amazed by Naruto's audacity, awed by the reckless and unthinking boldness he showed. She was struck by a sense of nostalgia.

"I know." Naruto grinned, eyes glittering with amusement.

"...Then you should know the probable side effects of tampering with the soul..." Mavis muttered, her fists clenched and trembling. "There is a reason why Soul Magic was forbidden, even four hundred years ago, you know."

Soul Magic. The art of manipulating the soul. Deemed forbidden, it was lumped together with heretical magics like Daemon Magic, Living Magic and Death Magic. The category that these magics belonged to was known as the **Black Arts**, magic that Zeref, the man who breathed life into a legion of demons and waged war with all creation, used. Soul Magic was the magic Zeref used before his final defeat. The sundering fire that severed the connection of the soul to the body and the glacial ice that imprisoned the soul in an icy prison, stopping all biological activities...

Soul Magic was forbidden not because it was used by Zeref. It was because of the potential the magic held. Soul Magic - as the name implies, it allowed practitioners to control the soul. Severing the soul from the body, controlling others via soul carving, putting a piece of a soul into a container for pseudo-immortality, and pushing the souls of the deceased into bodies... Soul Magic held many uses, and many practitioners utilized it to cross the borders of life and death, to revive the deceased, to raise a legion of undead warriors. Thus, Soul Magic was eventually labelled a part of the blackest of magics, and then sealed away.

"Eh, its been four hundred years already?" Naruto questioned, before merely shrugging it off. "And don't worry. You should have more faith in me... I was the one who crafted the Lumen Histoire, you know. The light and darkness of Fairy Tail, your guild. Compared to such a task, such a menial task would be like comparing the simplicity of a simple block to the complicity of a labyrinth.

Mavis scowled. "It is your guild too, you know. As long as you wield the mark on your body..." She trailed off, her eyes closing as she spouted another question. "...If, and only if, I agree to this reckless plan of yours, where would you shift my anchor point to?"

"Something that I always have with me... The only thing that comes to mind would be _myself_."

Mavis's eyes widened in shock, a gasp escaping her lips. Cringing, apprehension filled her being as Naruto's suggestion registered itself in her mind. "Wh-wha...?"

"Don't worry, Kurama is sleeping right now, resting to regain back his power. But you needn't worry about him... he might act tough, but he's just a big softy in the end." Naruto remarked without a thought, as if he was not discussing a demonic beast that could wreak unheard of destruction in the land. "And if he wakes up... Well, I'm sure he wont mind the company."

"Well, forgive me for being concerned about a titanic beast that can rival Acnologia in destruction potential." Mavis sarcastically snided.

"Houu. The veritable mother of the fairies shows her fangs." Naruto joked.

Mavis's eyes narrowed once again. In that legendary tone that served to instil fear into all males, that reeked of caution to all males, she whispered scathingly, "I'll show you exactly what fangs I have. How sharp they are... and how poisonous they can be."

"Hmm. I prefer myself intact..." Naruto muttered, raised his arms in surrender. Dropping his arms, his gaze once again hardened from jest to seriousness. "Anyway, back to the topic. Will... Will you allow me to seal you within myself? At least... until I have regained back the **Gedō**."

"You can't use your ocular magics?" Mavis asked, surprised. The pieces of the puzzle immediately fell into places for Mavis. "Ahh. I see. I see your plan, Naruto."

"Oh? And pray what might it be?"

Mavis smirked. "Sealing me in you would serve two purpose. Not only would it allow me to accompany you on your journey, it would allow you to use my powers in case you meet any trouble, in your weakened state. Sort of like those swords in that shinigami manga you read, no?"

Naruto chuckled gruffly. "I can't hide anything from you, huh, Mavis?"

"You know it." Mavis grinned. Breathing one deep final breath to finalize her decision, to harden her resolve, she replied. "Fine. I will go through with this preposterous plan of yours."

"But know this, Naruto..." She trailed off, her lips turning slightly malicious. "If I die due to this plan, I'll kill you!"

_She wasn't kidding_. _Even from beyond the grave, she would somehow find a way..._

"You don't need to worry, Mavis..." Naruto smiled. "I won't allow you to die. If you die, I will gladly give up this life to be with you in the other world. I would rather die with you than let you pass on alone."

"That's a promise of a lifetime."

Five simple words. They were simple and held no profound meaning, but it still impacted Mavis deeply. Her eyes widened and a ting of rosy red colored her cheeks. And her heart, it was beated much more vigorously than normal. It hammered at her chest, sending reverberations throughout her being. _A promise of a lifetime_.

Taking a moment to breath in deeply, to calm her rapidly beating heart down, she asked, "S-so... How should we go about this?"

"The seal containing Kurama in me is the Eight Trigrams Seal, which is a seal consisting of two layers of the Four Symbol Seals. The first layer is used to lock away my mindscape, and the second to seal Kurama. It is an impenetrable seal that can only be loosened through a "key" containing the seal formula or if Kurama's magic is not controlled when used..." Naruto explained, gesturing to his navel. "Luckily, I have the "key" with me, and I only need to unseal the first layer. Loosening it enough for another entity to infiltrate through is a simple task. The main problem, however... is magic."

"Magic?" Mavis quirked an eyebrow.

"Yes." Naruto replied. "Such an act requires a stupendously ridiculous amount of magic power, the likes of which at least matching that of the Well of Eternity. When I first did this long ago, I did it in a chamber that isolated everything, except for energy. Thus, the chamber was brimming with magic energy. But now..."

"That is fortunate." Mavis clapped her hands, interrupting Naruto's spiel. "Due to the Tenrō Tree, this island is abundant with magical power, saturating the surrounding area with magic. Furthermore, the already copious amount of magic power is further enhanced by the convergence of several magical ley lines that runs through Fiore, Seven and Bosco."

"It would not be an exaggeration to say that this island is one of the most magical place in all of Earthland."

"..." Naruto paused, unable to believe his stroke of good luck. "That is indeed lucky. That means all the requirements for the ritual have been cleared."

"Ritual..? D-don't tell me...!" Mavis uttered in shock. "Yo-you mean... the Assimilating Ritual?!"

The Assimilating Ritual is, as the name implies, a ritual used to assimilate anything with magic power into another being. It was forbidden four hundred years ago, due to the immense mental concentration and astronomical amount of magic power required and the... probable side-effects of the ritual. Another reason it was banned was due to _pain_ experienced during the ritual.

"Yes."

"..." Mavis gritted her teeth. Closing her eyes, she molded her will an iron armor and strengthened her resolve. "...Very well. Let us begin."

At the signal, Naruto raised his right arm towards the sky vertically, his fingers clenched in a claw grip. Inky black characters of the olden days appeared in the palm of his hand. Horizontal strips of black not unlike a barcode, varying in sizes, started forming from his wrist, slowly going downwards. Five azure small balls of flame formed, each on his five fingers. With his free hand, he moved it towards the small opening in his cloak, widening it, revealing his navel and the spiraling seal that housed the **Kyuubi**. On the five spaces between the entwined characters circling the spiral, he jammed his fingers into it, slowly rotating his fingers ninety degrees.

Deep within the recesses of his mind, a huge expanse of forest stood. With emerald green leaves that gleamed with brilliance, uncountable amount of trees littered the land. The branches of the trees of the great forest seemed to link together to create a maze-like net. Crackling, the green meadow hidden in the folds of the forest exuded an earthy smell of beginnings and endings. Of victory and defeat. There was a river running somewhere, creating a gentle soothing sound. The full moon above shone radiantly, gracing the land with its pale creamy light. Constellations shined with glittering light. It was serene, it was tranquil, it was peaceful.

Within the epicenter of the forest, a clearing held a titanic shrine that it seemed to touch the clouds. The door of the shrine held a circular hole in the middle, which held a strange metallic substance. This was the seal that held back the great beast of destruction that was said to manifest wherever humanity's hatred reached its peak.

The dark sky above suddenly cracked, a black dot appearing at the centre of the fullmoon. It grew, spiraling upon itself.

Meanwhile, the spiral of Naruto's seal was slowly filling up, a black material also looping round and round. It eventually filled the entire circular space when the full moon in his mindscape was eclipsed by the black hole. Naruto gritted his teeth, the mental exhaustion from the task gnawing at his mind. Even still, he ploughed forward, grasping the shoulder of Mavis with his right hand, the hand that held the midnight black unrecognizable literary characters.

Eyes narrowed in concentration, he channeled magic power to the ground. A magic circle of blue, the shades of the seas, formed and circled around the clearing. He glanced around, checking everything, before proceeding onwards. A single mistake had the potential to exorcise instead - his closest friend. His sole companion in this time. He was a being who thrived on social contact. If even that was stripped away..!

Closing their eyes, the two started the incantations.

"_Enter from the abyss, _

_will of the demon._

_I bare myself and see reality_.

_I hereby propose. _

_I hereby swear."_

The flux of power violently lashed out. It was agonizing. The power clawed at his nerves, skewering every bone in his body and attempted to rip his soul apart. There was a reason why only infants was used to seal beings inside, other than them being able to adjust to the new flux of power the other being contain. For because the pain receptors of infants have not fully formed yet.

A single entity is only supposed to hold a single soul. That was the universal law. It was a truth of the world, an established fact of life, a principle of the universe. When another entity tries to absorb another being, _his being, his very soul _objects violently. It constantly tries to force the foreign being out of its host until the body manages to adapt to the new entity. The violent objection was, to say the least, _painful_. The excruciating pain - it was enough to drive the most tough and hardened of men insane.

Of course, it was not all sunshine and daisies for the sealed entity. Piece by piece, the receiver's body was deconstructed into atoms _extremely painfully_, then passed through the seal, before being reconstructed into flesh, _or soul in this case_, again. The victim was disassembled, every form of his or her being razed to the simplest form of matter. Dismantled like a toy, tore down like a building. The victim's soul was literally _ripped apart_.

The pain - it which was torturous, it which was agonizing, it which was tormenting - their entire being screamed to scream, but the duo paid it no heed. Continuing chanting, there was only the incantation and the ritual. Everything else was muted, was drowned.

"_Without flesh and blood, _

_without bones and skin. _

_With only soul, _

_with only heart, _

_I will be the disposer of corruption i_n this eternal world. _"  
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The sapphiric magic circle started to glow an even brighter blue. As it exuded a glow of azure blue, the two casters of the ritual slowly gained a blue aura that outlined their body. Mavis, clenching her fists to withstand the tormenting pain, slowly dissolved into blue specks of light which slowly trailed and entered Naruto's navel in a stream. The magic power channeled into the ritual was so massive, so enormous, that it sent reverberations throughout the island, causing the seas to ripple. It could even be felt all the way from Fiore.

"_I will be the disposer of evil i_n this eternal world. __

_Clad in the seven days of the Great Trinity,_

_come forth from the constrained circle."  
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As each word was uttered, the blue glow shined brighter and brighter, tints of auburn brown slowly growing. The two colors, of blue and brown, melded together over the course of the incantations, forming gray, the color that symbolizes equilibrium.

"_I bare my soul and see illusions, _

_your sword shall determine my fate!_"

Shining with dazzling light, glowing with luminous radiance, the world was enveloped in gray.

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><p><strong>AN**: **Hey guys, I'm back! :D. Sorry for leaving all of you hanging with this. I went on a semi-hiatus for almost a year. I have no excuses and can only apologize... D:**

**Even though I will understand if some of you are angry with me, I have a request to ask. Do you mind checking out my other story Ambition of Uzumaki Naruto? And review if possible? Thanks a lot, peeps!  
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**I'm sorry if this chapter disappoints. I myself thought it was a little off, having too much dialogue and too little action, ._. Do drop a review for this chapter to give me constructive feedback! :D  
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